By JOE ADCOCK, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER THEATER CRITIC

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, September 3, 2004

To people on Mars, American presidential campaign politics must be hilarious. War, deaths, deficit, health care, jobs, abortion, gay rights, global warming and pollution -- what do they matter if you live 48.6 million miles from Washington, D.C.?

But the posturing and sliming, the hypocrisy and lying of campaigning -- from a safe distance they could seem absolutely ludicrous. At the Historic University Theatre, a safe distance is simulated for about 90 minutes in "Election Show 2004." Eight improv comics zip through the antics of campaigns, conventions and debates without the odious intrusion of life-and-death issues.

The show is sometimes hilarious and sometimes lame, which is usually the case with even the best of improv. A unique virtue, however, is that "Election Show 2004" provides non-partisan revenge on the trivialization of public life. It has all of the idiocy and none of the tragedy of our real-life election show 2004.

Pollsters pass through the audience early on, feeling the pulse of the electorate. They probe concerns and unearth frustrations. They make it clear that only absurd concerns and frustrations are in order.

This past Thursday night, the theater populace wanted its highest elected official to do something about the thunder that scares pets, the complications of the periodic table of the elements that make it hard to get good grades in chemistry classes, the difficulty of crossing streets and the curse of lethargy.

The incumbent, played by a smooth yet cocky John Boyle, made lethargy the chief issue in his platform, promising to eradicate it with universally available Royal Crown Cola and other "sugary drinks."

Vying for the out-of-office party's nomination were three hopefuls. Each took on one of the remaining pressing issues: bad weather, bad chemical elements and bad luck in crossing streets. Then came the sentimental meet-the-candidate ads. Then came the attack ads. The front-running challenger had to deal with a scandal concocted through audience suggestions. Then came the debates, with audience members and "representatives of the press" asking searching questions.

Then came the elections, first the primaries, then the big finale. An ever-unctuous Douglas Willott moderates proceedings. An ever-fatuous Mike Christiansen provides pundit commentary.

The cast members have conscientiously steeped themselves in the mannerisms and the mendacity of campaign culture. It really is refreshing to laugh at the politics of absurdity without being appalled by dismaying issues. Vote counts don't matter. Satire wins big.